Automobile license-tag holder and illuminator



Mar. 13,1923.

L. F. SPITZLBERGER AUTOMOBILE LICENSE TAG HOLDER AND ILLUMINATOR Filed Mar. 28, 1922 Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

LEO FELIX SPITZLBERGER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

AUTOMOBILE LICENSE-TAG HOLDER AND ILLUMINATOR.

Application filed March 28, 1922. Serial No. 547,577.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEO FELIX SPrrzL- BERGER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Im rovements in an Automobile License-Tag older and Illuminator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of license tags which are illuminated by reason of the projection therethrough of a light for the purpose of disclosing more clearly the characters and symbols thereon.

An object of my invention is to produce an improved license tag holder and illuminator wherein the changing of license tags may be readily accomplished, but only by the properly constituted authorities, the construction of my im )roved tag providing for the afiixing of a tate seal preventing the removal and substitution of tags by unauthorized persons.

A further object of secondary importance is the provision for using a system of tag numbering which will lead to the more ready reading and distinguishing of the State, municipality, etc, from which the car has come, upon the part of police and others designated to keep tab on such matters.

These and other objects are attained in the tag and holder described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a composite view of a holder and tag embodying my invention, showing parts removed ready for tag removal and changing operations.

ig. 2 is a rear view in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a composite view showing the features I have provided for removal and change of lamp bulbs. attention to wiring, etc.

In the construction I have shown. a casing 4: has been provided. This casing'has a closed rear face 5 and an open front. within the rim 6 of which two tracks 7 and 8 are provided. Track 7 isprovided for holding a license tag 9 and track 8 for holding a glass covering 10. Tag 9 I intend to be of fibre, sheet metal. or other opaque material through which the characters may be cut as shown, in order to permit the passage of light, or the tag may be of translucent material upon which the characters and symbols are painted, printed or otherwise of the device shown affixed. The glass covering I contemplate using may be of the wire reinforced kind which prevents the shattering glass from falling out ofthe holder. One end 11 of rim 6 is removable and the corresponding end 12 of eachof the tracks 7 and 8 is re movable. This provides for removal and replacement of the tag and covering glass. In order to fasten the ends in place, ends 12 are placed in position, after which end 11 is slipped between the top and bottom portion of the rim. Holes 13 in the ends of end 11 register with holes 14 in the rim so that the lower leg of each of the pins 15 may be placed in each cooperating pair of holes to retain the end 11 in place, the shorter leg extending over the edge of the casing rim to enable the pins to be removed. A wire 16 passed through additional holes 14 in the end and rim may receive the seal 17 of the State which has issued the license.

In the back of the casing I provide an openin 18 in which a connector 19 is located or holding a red bulb 20 to act as tail lamp. Adjacent thereto and preferably centrally located I provide an opening 21 which is closed by a plate 22 in which a connector 23 is located for holding a main tagdlluminating bulb 24. These connectors and the wires '25 and 26 extending therefrom. are protected by a boX-like'extension 27' on the bracket 28 which supports the holder. This holder has a hinge 29 along its bottom edge, by means of which the casing 4 is attached thereto. and by means of a hasp 30 or similar device, the two elcments are held in position relatively to each other. In the wiring arrangements I preferably attach the red bulb 20 to the battery so as to afford continuous illumination at night. and attach the bulb 24 to the generator so that illumination is afforded only when the engine is running. In the daytime the red bulb 20 is shut off by the use of a switch or other means, bulb 24 how ever is not shut off, unless the engine stops. this then stops the generating means.

In the numbering of license tags I have devised a system which I believe to be an improvement over any new employed. I utilize a symbol such as Y which as shown would be the symbol for the State of Ohio. I then add thereto in a separate group a number such as 2601. the name of the State or city being located beneath this. In the number group I contemplate the use of 9999 as the highest number, after which the symbol Y would be changed to 1' and the number group would start all over again from 1 to 9999. The reason for this is that this simple grouping of symbols and numbers of small denomination would be much easier to read and memorize than the complicated systems now used. Thus each State would have a different letter and number combination for use as a symbol, some instances requiring the use of two or more letters in the symbol.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

A license tag holder and illuminator comprising a casing having an open front, said front having a run consisting of a front track and a back track extending around three sides of the casing, one side of said rim being removable and adaptedto close the tracks on the fourth side when in position, said back track being adapted to receive an opaque license tag, said front track being adapted to receive a transparent cover therefor, said removable end and adjacent open ends of the tracks having registering apertures therein adapted to receive locking pins, additional apertures therein adapted to receive sealing \VlI'BS, locking pins located in the first mentioned apertures, and a sealing wire located in the second mentioned apertures.

In witness whereof, I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEO FELIX SPITZLB'ERG-ER.- \Vitnesses:

Mrs. TILLIE GAsToN, A. SCHWARTZ. 

